Colin Weber

Colin Weber
Advanced Technical Leadership Program Staff
Lockheed Martin Space

As Colin Weber was mulling careers in high school, he had a clear vision for what he wanted to do.

“My first dream goal was to replace Tom Skilling, but that was a very ambitious goal,” he said.

Instead, he took that love for science and followed some gentle encouragement from his dad and one AP teacher in high school to study engineering at Harper College. It led to a career at Lockheed Martin.

Harper helped start Weber on his engineering path, but classes also challenged him. He recalls a mechanical engineering course that regularly confronted students with equations meant to stump them.

“I think that class helped to show, in life you’re not always going to be right or have the right solution, but if you get something pretty dang close, you’ll be able to solve the problem,” Weber said. “When you talk to your peers and work in groups and labs, you’ll be able to get the full solution.”

A different class, organic chemistry, featured a teacher who presented material in a manner suited for his learning style.

“There are some people you’re going to work well with, and quite frankly, there are certain people you’re not going to work well with,” Weber said.

He also ran on the cross country and track teams, where he said he started as a more middling athlete. He credits Coach Jim Macnider and staff for helping him improve, discovering he was anemic and making a plan to help him improve.

The coach taught him: “Here’s a plan, if you execute it and stay consistent with it, you’re going to do better than 90% of people out there,” Weber said.

After Harper, Weber attended the University of New Haven and Drexel University. He has mentored college students through the INROADS program and the University of New Haven School of Engineering, helping future professionals navigate academic and career pathways. Through the Drexel alumni network, he supports large-scale food distribution efforts serving families in need and participates in environmental stewardship initiatives throughout the Philadelphia area.

At Lockheed Martin he currently is participating in a select program that allows him to pick his own assignments and pursue his interests, such as global business development. Weber is charting his own path forward, which all began at Harper.

“You get a real good introduction to whatever career path you want to pursue,” he said.